In the working or shaping of a metal by an instrument, such as a grinding wheel, belt sander, and the like, it is necessary to lubricate the operation. However, ordinary lubricants only temporarily ease frictional contact between the metal and instrument and are but briefly effective. Even worse, as metal particles become coated with oil and the like, they tend to form sticky clusters of particles which foul the operation by clogging pores of a grinding wheel, for example. This results in a shortened useful life for the instrument which has to be redressed more often than would otherwise be the case. Not only liquid lubricating oils but normally solid lubricants of low melting points have this shortcoming.
The problem is increased when one of the metal or working instruments is rotated, for instance, when the metal is mounted in a lathe or when the working instrument is a rotating drill. Then ordinary lubricants splatter or run or are thrown off by centrifugal action. Often, it becomes necessary to apply continuously a running stream of oil, for example, in order to achieve a desired lubricating action.
The problem is especially augmented in the case of non-ferrous metals, such as aluminum or copper. Because principally of their lower melting points, non-ferrous metals exhibit a self-welding effect. Under heat generated by an instrument, non-ferrous metals tend to flow and weld themselves to the instrument, thereby completely fouling the instrument and the working operation.